Free Being Grey (Beings Trilogy) by Gina Keliher

impatient Alice . I’m getting there, just in the chronological order. Remember that?” Touché.
    “Don’t ask me how, but Robbie and I looked at each other and we just knew what the other was going to do. Well, I knew Robbie would go after the man and I assumed he knew I’d try to protect the girl so not really an enlightening moment!" She laughs and re does the squiffy pony tail. "Robbie raced up to the guy and just tapped him on the shoulder and asked him did he know what time it was. I heard the man mumble something but I was running past to make sure the girl was safe. She’d started to walk towards us. I caught up to her and turned her in the opposite direction. She must have thought I was mental. I was jabbering on about how I’d seen her argue, making up something about the true love I could see in her boyfriends eyes. Anything to keep her mind off what could be happening in the alley behind us.”
      “So what did happen?” I’m leaning forward again.
    “Well luckily as I’m steering her in the direction she doesn’t want to go, her boyfriend came back. I guess he had a change of heart about leaving her. He starts saying something about being sorry and then I see his jaw start to drop. I know he’s looking over my shoulder at Robbie and the man, so I just pushed the girl in to him. He looks at me and I must have looked pretty damn serious as he just grabs her hand and runs away with her.” She says proudly. “I don’t think he’ll be leaving her in any dark alleys again.”
    “Wow, so what happened to the damned?”
    “After the couple left, I turned around to see Robbie and him dancing around each other, the guy trying his best to throw punches at Robbie but failing miserably, of course. I guess Robbie was trying to make it look like a fight and not a massacre while the couple were still around. I gave him one big nod and Robbie literally pirouetted, sticks one leg out and sweeps the legs from right under the man. It was so cool! As he was crumbling, he smacked his head on a dumpster and no more damned Being . No cover up required. Robbie hadn't hit the man once. It will look like he tripped and fell unfortunately knocking his lights out for good. But we know it’s not unfortunate.” She says with a wink. “I’d dropped the pizza, wings and garlic balls when I ran to protect the girl.”
    “You did the right thing. My treat tomorrow.”
    Her face actually lights up, "With garlic balls?"
     
    “Naturally.”
     
     
     
     
     

Chapter Sixteen
     
     
     
     
    We’re all at the manor house. Lady Howard called a meeting to discuss the party. Poppy and she had spoken about it yesterday so we’re finessing dates, times and venue. Whilst I know there will be surprises, we have to involve Poppy as she’s petrified her attire won’t be appropriate if we leave her out.
    “Your birthday is on a Friday, Poppet, so luckily Elton’s people can do either that day or the Saturday. I’m thinking Saturday as traffic can sometimes be monstrous on Fridays?” Lady Howard proposes.
    Poppy looks too excited to care. “Saturday sounds good Mummy.”
    “I’m thinking a marquee on the lawn beside the maze. DJ to start then maybe some live music? Casual attire but it is a party, so no denim please.” Lady Howard looks at each one of us in turn. We know the theme but it can’t be told to Poppy yet. “Alcohol, it will be there because there will be adults present and it is Poppet’s eighteenth, but I’m entrusting all of you to make sure no one underage gets influenced. A glass of bubbly as a toast I don’t mind, but I will not tolerate drunken revelling on my property.”
    “Yes Lady Howard.” We all say in unison. Even those in the gang who are of legal drinking age don’t get drunk as we don’t ever want to cloud our ability. She knows this but we have this reminder every time there’s a party.
    “The invitations can be printed Monday and mailed the same day but I know you’ll tell